Squatting in front of a mirror

**Tursunov** · 04-07-2008, 07:29 AM

Dear Mr rippetoe,

Would it be safe and beneficial to squat with my eyes closed? My gym has mirrored walls unfortunately.

Thanks!

**Mark Rippetoe** · 04-07-2008, 08:44 PM

Have you read any of the posts critiquing squat form where I yell and scream about looking down? Have you read my book, which yells and screams about looking down? Apparently not. No, do not close your eyes -- you'll need them for balance. Look down.

**h k** · 04-08-2008, 02:23 AM

Just out of curiosity;

I've read some stuff about squatting with your eyes closed so that that the trainer would learn how to feel his muscles better throughout the movement, as in getting the movement down to the right muscles, not this bodybuilder 'feel' of muscle. Is this completely boloney to you?
Never tried it because it sounds pretty crazy to me but this thread reminded me of it.

**Tursunov** · 04-08-2008, 02:48 AM

Thanks for the reply. Your book (I only have the first edition unfortunately) has helped me alot. The squat rack in my gym is right in front of the mirror, and yes I have read that one is supposed to keep his chin down and look at a point about 6 feet infront of me. The point is, the mirror is quite close (3 feet) in front of where I squat. If I follow the guidelines in your book, does that mean that theoretically I should be looking 3 feet inside the reflection?

About the previous question, I apologise if it was absurd or misleading. I was just getting frustrated with squatting in the mirror because of the temptation to look at my form.

Thanks for your patience.

**Mark Rippetoe** · 04-09-2008, 10:05 PM

Tape a piece of paper of sufficient size on the mirror at the right place and see if that helps. If it doesn't, just look at the junction of the floor and the wall. My rack is positioned like yours, and I look at the floor corner most of the time when I squat.

And no, I'm not going to squat with any weight with my eyes closed for any reason. If you want to do a few bodyweight warmups like this to sharpen your proprioception, that's fine, but it only takes a second to lose your balance weighted, and the benefits are far outweighed by the plastic surgeon's fee. This assumes that your appearance is worth salvaging.

**whatupdun** · 04-10-2008, 04:41 PM

Most racks have holes on either side, so you can simply move the hooks to the opposite side of the mirror. This is what I do, and it's quite alright because you only take a small step or two back, so you're not going to stumble over the bottom horizontal support. That way, I can draw a spot on the ground 6' away with some chalk.

I did front squats today, and I prefer to do those at the oly platform at my gym, which is only a slight distance from a mirror. In this case, I do what Coach Rip suggested and stare at the junction of wall and floor. I gotta admit tho, it's hard to not gaze in the mirror once in a while. After all, what's sexier than a guy whose 5RM on front squats exceeds his own body weight?